Catch-up and cleanup bookkeeping for ecommerce sellers
Behind on your books, or sitting on books you don't trust? We rebuild them month by month, settlement by settlement, and hand you a clean file your CPA can actually use.
Falling behind is normal. You were busy running the business, the DIY spreadsheet stopped keeping up, or a previous bookkeeper left a mess that made things worse than nothing. It only becomes a real problem when tax season, a loan application, or a potential buyer shows up and the books can't answer basic questions.
Sellers call this work different things: bookkeeping cleanup services, historical bookkeeping, a QuickBooks cleanup, a books rebuild before a loan, getting caught up before tax season. Same job. We rebuild what's missing and fix what's wrong, at a discounted rate compared to monthly service, with a fixed quote before we start. No hourly meter running.
This is outsourced catch-up at its most practical: a bookkeeper for the backlog you've been avoiding, an accountant for the questions the backlog raises, and online bookkeeping discipline afterward so it never rebuilds.
Why ecommerce catch-up is different
You can't just categorize bank transactions
A year of Amazon deposits tells you almost nothing about that year's sales. Real catch-up means pulling every settlement report and rebuilding gross sales, fees, refunds and reserves for each period. Skipping that step is how the last bookkeeper got it wrong.
Old inventory errors compound
If COGS was booked on purchases, every month since is misstated. We rebuild inventory movement so your margins are real, which usually changes the profit picture more than sellers expect. Sometimes in your favor.
The 1099-K mismatch problem
The IRS gets a 1099-K showing your gross sales. If your return was filed off net deposits, those numbers don't match, and mismatches are what trigger letters. Clean books make the reconciliation obvious.
What we do every month
- Fixed quote based on months, channels and transaction volume
- Every settlement report pulled and rebuilt
- COGS reconstructed from inventory movement
- Sales tax collected separated from revenue
- Duplicate and miscategorized transactions fixed
- Bank, credit card and payment processor reconciliation
- Clean year-end package for your CPA
- Written summary of what we found and fixed
How long does catch-up take?
One to three weeks for most projects. A single-channel Shopify store that's six months behind is quick. A three-channel seller two years behind with an inventory mess takes longer. We give you a timeline with the quote and report progress as we go.
If you're up against a tax deadline, say so. We can usually prioritize the periods your CPA needs first.
What happens after the catch-up
Most clients roll straight into monthly service so the backlog never rebuilds, with the catch-up fee credited against your Diligence Readiness Assessment if you started there. But there's no obligation. If you just need clean books handed back, that's a fine outcome too, and everything lives in your own QuickBooks or Xero file either way.
Related services
Closed by day 10, or 50% off
Your prior month is reconciled and delivered by the 10th business day, guaranteed in writing. Miss it and that month's fee is half price. No competitor guarantees anything.
You own your books
We work inside your QuickBooks, Xero or NetSuite file, not ours. Leave any time and everything stays with you, diligence history included.
Exit-grade, always
Accrual books with landed-cost COGS and a maintained addback schedule. If a buyer or lender called tomorrow, your books would be ready.
Published pricing, no lock-in
Our full rate card is on the website and engagements run month-to-month. Every ecommerce-exclusive competitor hides pricing behind a sales call. We don't.
Catch-up bookkeeping FAQs
How much does catch-up bookkeeping cost?
It depends on months behind, number of channels, and transaction volume, so we quote each project flat after a quick look at your accounts. Catch-up months are billed at a discount to our monthly rate. You'll know the full price before we start.
My previous bookkeeper's work is wrong. Can you fix it instead of starting over?
We audit what exists first. Sometimes it's salvageable and we correct specific errors; sometimes rebuilding from settlement reports is faster and more reliable. We'll tell you which, and why, before quoting.
Can you work with my CPA?
Yes, and we'd rather. We deliver the exact package they need, answer their questions directly, and stay out of their lane on tax strategy.
How far back can you go?
As far as the data exists. Marketplace settlement history, bank statements and processor exports typically cover several years. Multi-year rebuilds are common before a sale or an audit.
Can you clean up my books before tax season?
Yes, and the earlier you start, the more options you have. A single-channel cleanup begun in January is comfortably done for a March deadline; a multi-year, multi-channel rebuild begun in March means your CPA files an extension. Extensions are fine. Filing off wrong books is the expensive choice.
What's the difference between catch-up and cleanup bookkeeping?
Catch-up fills months that were never done; cleanup fixes months that were done wrong. Most ecommerce projects are both: the DIY era is missing and the previous-bookkeeper era is wrong. We quote them together after looking at your file, and the deliverable is the same either way: books you and your CPA can trust.
Do I need clean books to get a loan or line of credit?
Yes. Lenders ask for financial statements, and inventory lenders specifically check whether COGS ties to actual inventory movement. Books built off bank deposits get applications declined or priced worse. A catch-up project before you apply typically takes one to three weeks, which is faster than most underwriting anyway.
Will years of messy books trigger an IRS audit?
Messy books don't trigger audits; mismatches do. The IRS computer compares your 1099-Ks to your return, and net-deposit bookkeeping guarantees those numbers disagree. Rebuilding from settlement reports makes gross sales tie to the forms, which keeps the matching program quiet. If a letter already arrived, clean books are how you answer it.
Can you catch up books across multiple sales channels?
Yes, that's most of our catch-up work: Amazon plus Shopify plus eBay, each rebuilt from its own settlement reports into one accounting file with per-channel numbers. Channel count mostly affects the quote, not the feasibility, and single-channel projects simply finish faster.
Who is this catch-up bookkeeping service for?
Ecommerce and marketplace sellers, which is the whole firm's focus. If the backlog belongs to a restaurant or a law practice, a generalist will serve you better. If it's two years of Amazon settlements, a gateway tangle and an inventory question nobody can answer, that's exactly the mess we rebuild every month.
We'll do last month's books free, and show you what your bookkeeper missed
The free Ecommerce Books Audit: connect read-only access and within 3 business days you get a clean month of books plus a 10-minute recorded teardown of every margin leak, COGS error and sales-tax risk we found. Keep it all, even if you never hire us.
- ✓ Books closed by day 10, guaranteed in writing
- ✓ Everything stays in your QuickBooks, Xero or NetSuite file
- ✓ Published pricing, month-to-month, no lock-in